MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — July 30, 2026 — Gan Jing World (GJW), an independent, family-safe video streaming and content sharing platform, today celebrated the winners of its 2025–26 #BeKindBeCool Kindness Awards at a live ceremony in New York City’s Times Square, where winning videos and artwork lit up a billboard at the crossroads of the world — and announced that entries for the 2026–27 Kindness Awards are now open.
Now in its fourth year, #BeKindBeCool has grown from a single hashtag into a worldwide movement built on one idea: choose kindness, every day. What began as one contest in 2023 has gathered more than 34,000 acts of kindness from content creators, students and everyday people in more than 50 countries, in 11 languages, reaching audiences in 200+ countries and regions and generating over a billion impressions. This year’s honorees, together with the movement’s Kindness Ambassadors — top creators who have joined the cause — represent a combined reach of more than 185 million followers. The movement also speaks to a real need: research finds roughly 20 percent less bullying in schools that build a culture of kindness (Gaffney et al., 2021).
A movement recognized by public leaders
The movement’s impact has drawn recognition from officials across the United States. Governors Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Maura Healey of Massachusetts (with Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll), and Bill Lee of Tennessee have commended the initiative, while Vermont Governor Phil Scott proclaimed a statewide “#BeKindBeCool Day.” In New York, both the State Senate (Senator James Skoufis) and the State Assembly (Assemblymembers Karl Brabenec and Paula Kay) have formally honored the movement and its winners. Recognition now spans the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Indonesia.
The celebration in Times Square
Hosted by broadcaster Ben Hedges, the July 30 ceremony brought together winners, distinguished guests, and #BeKindBeCool Kindness Ambassadors to celebrate the year’s stories of kindness in person. Winners received awards on the Times Square stage, with their work featured on the MiFi billboard overlooking Military Island. This year’s Gold Prize goes to BI Phakathi, South Africa’s faceless “Good Samaritan,” whose quiet acts of kindness have moved millions.
Throughout the day, the Times Square billboard runs on rotation every hour, spotlighting this year’s #BeKindBeCool Kindness Stars alongside the winning videos and artwork. The Kindness Stars — Marisa Peer, Kaido Roberts, Jeff Iverson, Josh Nasar, and Samia Ali — are creators who carry kindness to their audiences every day. Together with the program’s global winners, this year’s honorees reach a combined audience of more than 37 million.
For the best of our weekly content！
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Check your email to complete sign up
The 2026–27 Kindness Awards — now open
For the fourth year running, Gan Jing World invites creators, students, and everyday changemakers around the world to take part, with $10,000 in total prizes and this year’s call to action: Choose Kindness.
Entrants create something about kindness — a video, short, artwork, song, skit, or vlog — and post it on Gan Jing World with #BeKindBeCool between July 2026 and March 31, 2027 to be entered automatically. Entry is free, and there is no limit on submissions.
Everyone competes through one of two tracks: the Open Awards, for creators and the global community (competing for Gold, Silver, and Bronze), and the School Edition, for students ages 6–18 — featuring the Kindness Art Competition and student Kindness Videos. Winning entries each year are featured on the Times Square billboard and celebrated at an awards ceremony in New York City. Full details, prizes, and entry information are available at ganjingworld.com/bekindbecool.
“In the age of AI, success can no longer be measured by test scores alone — the qualities that matter most are deeply human: curiosity, compassion, resilience, wisdom, and strong moral character,” said Dr. Sherry Yin, CEO of Gan Jing World.
Comments